Ann-Margret said Elvis wanted to marry her: “His wish was that we could stay together.” But the star was under immense pressure from his manager and public opinion to marry his long-term girlfriend, Priscilla.
In her own autobiography, Priscilla described her fury at the affair: “I picked up a flower vase and threw it across the room, shattering it against the wall.”
When the UK press reported that the Viva Las Vegas pair were planning to marry, Elvis accused Ann-Margret of leaking the story, which she denied.
Many of the Memphis Mafia have claimed that Elvis might have lived and avoided his spiral into addiction if he had stayed with Ann-Margert, who battled and beat her own drink dependency.
Others, though, point out that Elvis always preferred relationships with less fiery, more amenable women in the long term and ultimately would have always chosen Priscilla over Ann-Margret.